137 days, 9 hours, and 6 minutes...

As I type, it is 137 days, 9 hours, and 6 minutes until I leave for Africa.

Over the past two weeks, a team from my church has been over in Tenali, India on a mission trip, sharing the love of Christ with the people over there. Out of the group, four of the girls are some of my closest friends here. It has been so exciting to keep up-to-date with their trip through their Facebook posts and pictures, and now that they're back, to hear their amazing stories. Every story I hear and smile I see on each and every one of their faces just gets me that much more excited to go to Africa this summer.

I can't help but be so proud of these young ladies for taking this step of faith in going to a country so far away and letting God use them to minister to those around them. As I've been following their trip, I can't help but realize how extremely lucky we are to have the freedom here in the United States to worship God as freely as we want. In India, the people there face persecution everyday for openly worshiping God, yet they don't let that stop them. Instead, they thrive on it and praise Him all that much more! I can't help but feel so convicted over that. It is so easy for me to live life day to day, just focusing on myself, instead of focusing on showing the love of Christ to those around me. I get worried that I'll be judged and my co-workers will think I'm weird, or I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of things that I lose focus on the most important goal... to tell others around me about God.

I pray that in the coming months leading up to Africa, God will help use this trip as a venue for me to share my faith with those around me. I pray that in my workplace, it will give me a way to bring up what God is doing in my life and open up people's hearts around me. I hope you will join in praying for my team and me as we spend the coming months preparing for this trip. I have been so blessed already by so many people who have not only said they would be joining me in prayer, but have also supported me financially. I am still only $700 away from reaching my goal of $3200 to go to Africa. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me in this trip and how he is going to use me to reach those around me for Christ. Thank you for your support! :)